You'd Be Surprised
by alinaandalion
Summary: After breaking up with Maureen, Joanne leaves New York for Seattle only to return two years later.
1. If You Were Here

**First of all, I would like to say that this is my first RENT story and probably will be my only one. This plot bunny has been floating around in my head for the past year and I finally decided to put it on paper since I've been having trouble with my other stories. I'm not exactly sure how this will turn out, and I will also not be using a beta unless someone really wants to volunteer or Tiggy decides to take it on along with all her own stories and the three I keep bugging her with. To be honest, I don't really know if this will ever be finished, but I'll try my best. This is mainly an experiment in a different fandom in the hopes that perhaps changing the scenery a little bit will help with my inspiration. I hope everyone likes this, and as always, I do love to know what people think. **

Joanne sighed as she carried her luggage through the airport, struggling to push past the crowds of people to make it outside into the open air of the city. It was hard to believe that it had been almost two years since she had been in New York City. She took a deep breath and smiled; it was good to be home. Grasping her suitcase a little tighter, she hailed a taxi and gave the driver directions to her new apartment. Her parents had made the arrangements for her, and her furniture and other possessions would be delivered in a few days. As the taxi sat in traffic, she gazed out the window and took in the scene of the bustling city. Seattle had been a wonderful change, but the dreary weather and her father's failing health had dictated her sudden move back to New York to take over her father's practice. She grinned; it was hard to remember why she had ever left.

_"If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times that I hate it when you flirt with other people right in front of me!" Joanne yelled as she stalked after Maureen._

_"If you would pay any attention to me at all instead of your stupid work, then maybe I wouldn't have to," Maureen snapped back, her eyes blazing._

_"It was an important phone call," Joanne said stiffly. "I'm sorry that I'm in the middle of a very important case, and I couldn't ignore it. But, that doesn't give you the right to immediately start flirting with the first person you see!"_

_Maureen groaned, "Ugh, I didn't do anything wrong. It's not like I slept with her or anything."_

_"You gave her our phone number!" Joanne bellowed, grabbing Maureen's arm and pushing up her sleeve to reveal smeared black digits on the pale skin. "And you let her write her phone number down on your arm. What am I supposed to think?"_

_"You should trust me!" Maureen yelled, throwing her hands up into the air as she stomped into the bedroom and slammed the door._

_Joanne followed her into the room, "It's really hard to trust you when you continually throw yourself at other people whenever we leave the apartment!"_

_"I don't know what your problem is, but I'm obviously not good enough for you!" Maureen screamed hysterically as she pulled her suitcase out from under Joanne's bed. _

_"What are you doing?" Joanne asked, suddenly confused._

_Maureen stalked over to her drawers and started to chunk piles of her clothes in the direction of her suitcase, "I'm leaving. I'm going to go and live at the loft, and if you decide that you want to trust me, then I might come back."_

_"Fine!" Joanne yelled. "Don't expect for me to beg for you to come back."_

_Maureen just ignored her and closed her suitcase; holding her head high, she left the room and slammed the door behind her as Joanne sat down on the bed. Another door slammed, and Joanne shook her head as a few tears slipped down her cheeks._

Now it was easy to recall part of the reason that she had been so willing to pack up. It wasn't the worst fight they had had, but it had certainly been a defining point in their problematic relationship.

"Miss, we're at your place," the taxi driver said as he peered at her through his rearview mirror. "Or do you have somewhere else to go?"

"No, thank you," she said graciously as she handed him the fare and climbed out of the back seat.

She grabbed her suitcase from the trunk and walked up to her new building. It was in a different part of the city than her old one had been, but it looked nice. She pulled a small slip of paper out of her pocket and glanced down at the number on it to make sure she was headed to the right apartment. She walked over to the elevator and pressed the button. The elevator opened almost immediately, so she stepped into it and pressed her number before leaning against the wall.

_She had debated for weeks over whether or not she should accept the job offer. It was a wonderful opportunity, but Seattle was so far away. She had called a few days ago to accept the job; maybe a change in scenery would help her focus on her work again. Maureen hadn't called since she had left, and Joanne had resisted the urge to call her, to ask her to come back. She knew that it was only her pride that kept her from reconciling with Maureen, but she couldn't handle another argument or another break-up. It was for the best that their relationship had finally fizzled out on its own, and there was no need to drag herself through the fire one more time. _

_She looked around at all the boxes and the covered furniture; her parents were going to send all of it to her once she arrived in Seattle. Her plane left in a couple of hours, so she grabbed her suitcase and headed out the door, looking around the familiar room one more time before she closed the door._

_Collins, Mark, Roger, and Mimi were waiting for her at the airport. Mimi still looked too thin, but she was bundled up in a thick coat, so Joanne didn't worry. Roger was holding Mimi close to his body, and Mark was busily filming the people passing by as Collins watched._

_"You didn't have to come see me off," Joanne said as she smiled._

_Collins grinned at the sight of her and said, "Well, I wasn't about to let my favorite lawyer friend get away without a promise for free legal advice if I get into any trouble in the future."_

_"You had better behave yourself," Joanne reprimanded him gently. "Here is my new phone number and address. I'll call and check in every now and then."_

_Mark took the slip of paper from Joanne's outstretched hand and replied, "Thanks."_

_"Don't be a stranger," Roger said with a slight smile._

_Mimi rolled her eyes and pulled Joanne into a hug, "Call me every week. I'm going to miss you so much."_

_"Take care of yourself," Joanne replied softly. "And, I'll miss you, too."_

_As Mimi released her, Joanne glanced around the airport as she sighed._

_"She's not going to come," Collins said softly as he looked at Joanne._

_"I didn't think she would," Joanne said bitterly._

_Collins hugged her and said, "Don't worry about her. Just go and live your life, and we'll be waiting for you when you come back."_

_"Thank you," Joanne said quietly. "Oh, I'm going to miss my plane."_

_"We'll see you soon," Mark called after her as she rushed off to find the right terminal._

_She turned and waved to them, grinning, before hurrying into the crowd._

The elevator doors opened, and she wandered into the hallway, counting down the numbers until she reached her door. Shifting her suitcase into her other hand, she fished through her pockets for her keys, smiling triumphantly when she pulled them out. She unlocked her door and slipped inside. She gazed around the empty room, laughing when she saw the mattress in the middle of the floor with a set of sheets and a towel sitting on it. Setting her suitcase down, she sat down on the mattress and closed her eyes. She was finally home.


	2. At All That I've Become

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I was surprised by the positive response this story has already, so I wrote a new chapter immediately. And, luckily, this has some kind of magical effect on my other stories because they are all begging to be updated as well. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter and don't forget to review!**

Joanne sighed as she glanced at Lisa, saying, "Remind me again why I agreed to go with you."

"Because I have free tickets since my date has to work tonight," Lisa said cheerfully. "It's one of the few downsides of having a surgeon for a boyfriend. So, how was work today?"

"Long," Joanne replied shortly as she gazed out the window of the taxi. "What show are we going to see?"

Lisa shrugged, "I don't remember. It's some new show that's off-Broadway. I've heard it's really good."

"You owe me dinner," Joanne moaned as she leaned her head on Lisa's shoulder.

"I'm taking you to a free show," Lisa protested, but she grinned and kissed Joanne's cheek. "You're lucky you're cute."

"I'm too tired for you to hit on me," Joanne warned as she cuddled closer to Lisa.

Lisa snorted and pushed Joanne playfully, "Don't flatter yourself, Jo. Oh, look, we're here."

Joanne pulled out her wallet and handed the driver some money before Lisa could manage to hunt down her own wallet in her huge purse.

As they got out of the taxi, Lisa said, "I was going to pay for the taxi."

"Like you said, you've given me a free ticket," Joanne replied with a shrug. "It's not that big of a deal."

Lisa shook her head and pulled Joanne after her, handing their tickets in at the door. They collected their small programs and found their seats as people milled around the small theatre. Joanne flipped through the program, perusing the list of the cast members, her eyes focusing on one name.

"Maureen?" Joanne murmured when she saw the name of the lead actress.

"What did you say?" Lisa asked as she leaned over.

"Nothing," Joanne said quickly, shaking her head.

It couldn't be Maureen Johnson; she couldn't be the same woman Joanne had dated. The lights dimmed, and Joanne settled back into her seat as the show began. She started to relax and enjoy the show, and suddenly a very familiar brunette woman appeared on the stage. Joanne shot forward in her seat as the woman began to sing. She was unmistakably Maureen. Joanne's eyes followed her across the stage, unable to look away. Joanne was only brought back to reality when Lisa nudged her as the audience erupted into applause.

"Earth to Jo," Lisa said, waving her hand in front of Joanne's face. When Joanne looked up at her, she said, "The show is over, Joanne. Come on, we can go to the stage door and get some autographs."

Joanne hesitated for a moment; it might not be the best idea for her to see Maureen again.

"All right," Joanne agreed as she followed Lisa outside.

As they stood outside in the cool night air, Lisa asked, "So, what did you think of Maureen?"

Joanne started and stammered, "I don't know what you're talking about. She was good, I guess."

"Chill, Jo," Lisa said playfully. "You didn't really think that I would forget about _the_ Maureen Johnson, the woman who managed to turn your entire life upside down with a smile?"

"One can only hope," Joanne muttered, rolling her eyes.

Lisa laughed, "I've missed you."

"Please tell me you didn't know that Maureen was in the show when you invited me," Joanne said suddenly.

"Of course not," Lisa replied. "Look, there she is. Do you want to talk to her or do you want to just leave?"

Joanne looked up and saw Maureen had just walked outside, a smile on her face as she greeted the small crowd of people around the door.

"I don't know," Joanne admitted as she stared at Maureen.

Lisa sighed, "We'll stay. You're absolutely hopeless."

Joanne ignored her as Maureen slowly made her way in their direction. Her hair was a little longer, but it was still as curly as ever. She looked thinner and tired, but Joanne dismissed that because she was sure that working in a show was a lot of work, and Maureen had never taken very good care of herself.

When Maureen reached them, she smiled and said, "I hope you both enjoyed the show."

"Maureen," Joanne began, but when Maureen looked at her, the words got caught in her mouth.

"Joanne," Maureen whispered, her smile fading for a moment before she suddenly beamed and pulled Joanne into a hug. "How have you been?"

"Fine," Joanne replied, stunned. "How about you? No one told me that you were acting now."

Maureen shrugged, "I guess they thought you wouldn't really care since we broke up. What are you doing back in New York? Are you here to stay or are you just visiting?"

Joanne started to answer her, but Lisa interrupted, saying, "I really enjoyed the show, Maureen. I think I'll leave the two of you to catch up."

"No, stay," Joanne said quickly, sending Lisa a pleading look.

"I have an early morning," Lisa said, already walking off. "I'll call you tomorrow, Jo."

Maureen waited until Lisa had disappeared around the corner before asking, "Do you have anywhere to be? Because I don't have anything to do until tomorrow night, and we could go grab some drinks at a bar and talk. Unless you don't want to."

"No, that sounds good," Joanne said, smiling. "Do you want me to get a taxi?"

"Well, there's a bar just down the street," Maureen replied with a shrug. "It shouldn't be too crowded."

"All right," Joanne agreed.

Maureen gave her a slight smile and took her arm, leading her down the street. They walked in silence, and Joanne stole a glance at Maureen, biting her lip nervously. Maureen pulled the door open for Joanne and walked in after her before pulling her in the direction of the bar.

"What do you want?" Maureen asked as she situated herself on a stool.

"I'll just have a glass of water," Joanne said.

"Hey, Mike, I'll have two waters," Maureen called over to the bartender.

"Well, here's my favorite diva," he said with a wink as he poured two bottles of water into their glasses. "You need anything else?"

Maureen glanced in Joanne's direction and when she shrugged, Maureen shook her head, "Thanks, though, Mike." Maureen turned to Joanne and said, "So, you never did tell me if you're back in New York for good."

"I'm in the process of moving all my stuff back," Joanne said as she sipped her water. "My father retired, so I'm a partner now at the firm."

"Wow, that's fantastic!" Maureen said with excitement. "I guess I just thought you were here for a different reason."

"What reason did you think it was?" Joanne asked. When Maureen turned her head away and gulped down some water, Joanne narrowed her eyes as she said, "Maureen Johnson, tell me exactly what reason you thought I was here for."

Maureen sighed as she ran her hand through her hair, "Mimi hasn't been doing very well the past couple of months, and we're all worried that she might not live much longer. We're not sure, but Collins has been trying to convince her to go to a hospital."

Joanne stared at Maureen in shock as she asked, "When was someone going to tell me?"

"Collins was supposed to call you," Maureen answered miserably. "I guess he couldn't get up with you, but I haven't had a chance to talk with him about it, so I didn't know."

"How bad is it?" Joanne said, closing her eyes.

"Like I said, we're not really sure because Mimi doesn't always let us know when she isn't feeling well," Maureen said quietly. She let out a frustrated breath and said, "Look, Joanne, you know the way AIDS can be. Mimi could just get sick with a cold, and then she can catch something else so easily. Then, before anyone can do anything, she's too far gone. That's why we wanted you here; in case something happens too fast for us to let you know. Now, I guess it doesn't really matter."

"I'm glad I'm back," Joanne said finally after a few moments of silence. "Now, tell me what you've been doing. I had no idea that you were starring in a show off-Broadway."

Maureen laughed slightly as she said, "Well, it took me a little while to get my life together. Collins helped me out a lot, and I managed to find a job. After that, I started to go to auditions, and I got little parts here and there. This last one is the biggest role I've had, and it's gotten a lot of attention. So, who knows where I'll go from here?"

"That's really great, Maureen," Joanne replied softly.

"You should come by the loft tomorrow," Maureen told her as she drank some water. "Everyone will be so surprised to see you, and it will be good for Mimi."

"I was thinking about coming by tomorrow afternoon," Joanne said, nodding her head slowly. "Do you live there still?"

"No, I moved," Maureen said with a wave of her hand. She pursed her lips for a moment before asking, "Are you dating anyone?"

"No. Why?" Joanne replied, a note of eagerness creeping into her voice.

Maureen bit her lip and said, "I was just wondering."

"How about you?" Joanne questioned, attempting to squash the hopefulness rising in her chest.

Maureen shrugged and glanced at the clock, frowning, "Oh, it's getting late. I'm sure you have an early morning tomorrow, and I need to get home."

"All right," Joanne sighed, sliding off her stool as Maureen pulled a few bills out of her pocket and slapped them onto the counter.

"There you go, Mike!" Maureen called as she walked with Joanne to the door. "I'll see you later. Say hello to your family for me."

"Will do, Maureen," he said with a smile. "Have a good night."

Maureen grinned and waved, following Joanne outside onto the sidewalk.

"Do you want me to see you home?" Maureen offered, shuffling her feet as she looked at Joanne out of the corner of her eyes.

Joanne shook her head, "I'll just hail a taxi. It's too long of a walk this late. So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Maureen agreed with a small smile.

Joanne turned to the street and hailed a taxi. As the yellow car pulled to the curb, Maureen brushed her lips against Joanne's cheek as she squeezed the other woman's hand.

"It was good to see you again," Maureen said softly before walking off, her hips swaying.

Joanne watched as Maureen left, her gaze following the hypnotizing rhythm of Maureen's body until the taxi driver leaned over to the passenger window.

"Hey, lady, are you going to get in or not?" the man asked impatiently as he jerked his finger to the backseat.

Joanne pulled her eyes away from Maureen's distant form and said apologetically, "I'm sorry."

The driver just shrugged his shoulders as she crawled into the backseat and rested her head against the rear window, letting out a long sigh. She told the driver her address after another impatient look directed at her and thought about that night. A familiar heady feeling brought a smile to her face as she reflected on Maureen. She shook her head; she could not fall in love with her again. Biting her lip, Joanne closed her eyes as she waited for her mind to reason her heart back into submission.


	3. I Confess When I Am Wrong

Joanne pulled nervously at the collar of her shirt as she prepared to knock on the loft's door. Since it was a Saturday, she hoped that everyone would be hanging out there so she wouldn't have to hunt them down later. Taking a deep breath, she rapped her knuckles against the door and waited for someone to let her in. The door slid open, and Joanne looked up at Mark for a moment as she smiled.

"Hey," she said as he started to grin.

"Hey, I didn't know you were back in town," Mark said excitedly. He turned his head and yelled, "Hey, guess what? Joanne's back!"

Joanne heard something thud as it hit the ground, and allowed Mark to pull her in the room. She looked around, taking in the well-lit surroundings; Collins had somehow ended up on the ground, cursing, and Roger and Mimi were wrapped up together, doubled up in laughter.

"Joanne!" Mimi called, her eyes lighting up as she held out her arms.

Joanne immediately walked over to Mimi and hugged her as she said, "It's good to see you again, Meems. How are you feeling?"

"Did someone tell you?" Mimi asked as her face fell in disappointment. "I told them all that I feel fine. You didn't need to make a trip all the way out here just for me."

"Actually, I moved back to New York because I'm now a partner in my dad's firm," Joanne replied. "But, yes, Maureen told me last night."

"You saw Maureen?" Collins asked in surprise as he stood up. Grinning, he pulled Joanne into a bear hug and said, "She forgot to mention the good news."

"Well, you forgot to tell me that she was starring in a show," Joanne reprimanded him as he set her back down on the ground. "Where is she anyway? I would have thought she would be with all of you."

"She's downstairs with Benny," Roger piped up, nudging Joanne's leg gently with his foot as he tucked an arm around Mimi. "Glad to have you back, Joanne."

Joanne bit her lip as she said, "Oh. So, you all are getting along with Benny now?"

"Yeah, in some weird turn of events, Benny decided to help us shape the building up," Mark explained. "We made a deal that we would all get jobs, and we would half the cost of putting in new appliances and painting the place. It turns out that Allison was the one who suggested the plan in the first place, so we all decided it would be best to start over and try to be friends."

"So, Allison isn't such a bitch?" Joanne asked, a note of amusement in her voice.

"Not if she can forgive me for having an affair with her husband," Mimi said with a slight laugh. "But, when Maureen moved out, she just moved into my old apartment downstairs instead of leaving the building. What is she trying to do again, Collins?"

"She wants to paint, and she wanted to make sure Benny approved," Collins replied quickly. "They should be done any minute."

"Do you want something to drink?" Mark asked as he headed in the direction of the refrigerator.

"No, thank you," Joanne said quickly as the door slid open.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too," Maureen said as she walked inside the loft. "Oh, hey, do you guys want to go out and do something today?"

Mark shook his head, "No, I've got that project to finish up."

"We'll be staying in," Roger replied as Mimi pouted. Sighing, he kissed her cheek and said, "We're going out on Sunday, remember? The doctor said that you shouldn't expose yourself to all the cold weather, though, so we have to limit ourselves."

"Fine," Mimi grumbled.

Maureen sighed and turned hopefully to Collins, her hands on her hips. He started to reply, but Maureen's attention was diverted when her eyes finally found Joanne.

"Joanne, you did come!" Maureen squealed, running over to her ex-girlfriend and hugging her. "I hope you didn't get back to your place too late last night."

"No, but thank you," Joanne said with a weak smile. "You didn't exactly mention that you were living downstairs when we were talking."

"I didn't think it was important," Maureen said as she shook her curls. "So, do you want to do something today?"

"Hey, Joanne," Benny said, giving her a small wave as he sank onto the opposite end of the couch.

Joanne smiled at him and answered Maureen, "Sure. What do you want to do?"

Maureen shrugged her shoulders, "Well, since everyone else doesn't want to do anything, we can take a walk and see if anything looks like fun."

"Sounds good," Joanne said.

"So, no one wants to come, too?" Maureen asked as she looked around at Collins and Benny.

"I think I'll take a rain check, Mo," Collins said as he stretched his legs out and put his hands behind his head.

"I think I might tag along," Benny said. At a shake of Collins' head, Benny quickly continued, "Actually, I probably need to get home. Allison will be waiting on me."

"Do you want to leave now?" Maureen asked Joanne as she shifted her weight from foot to foot impatiently.

"Um, okay," Joanne agreed hesitantly, smiling slightly when Maureen grabbed her hand and pulled her off the couch. She waved to everyone as Maureen led her to the door, "I'll see all of you when we get back."

Maureen slid the door closed and smiled at Joanne, "Thanks for coming with me. I just need to get out for a couple of hours."

"Can I see your place?" Joanne asked eagerly as they walked down the stairs.

"Maybe later," Maureen said with a grimace. "It's really messy right now, and I don't have time to clean it."

"No rush," Joanne said breezily. "I'm just getting all my stuff unpacked, so my apartment is a wreck right now."

"I'm sure that won't last long," Maureen laughed. "I remember what a neat freak you were."

"And, you, the eternal slob," Joanne teased. "I guess I'm going to have to wait for months before your place will be suitable for human company."

Maureen rolled her eyes as she headed out into the sunshine, shivering slightly as the wind hit her face. Pulling Joanne closer, Maureen linked her arm with Joanne's and headed down the street.

"So, are you glad to be back or do you miss Seattle?" Maureen asked as she watched Joanne out of the corner of her eye.

Joanne grinned and said, "I'm definitely glad to be home. I missed this city more than anything when I went to Seattle. Why don't you tell me about the job you mentioned last night?"

"I was just a secretary for a doctor," Maureen replied quietly. "It was a really boring job, but it paid the bills. I actually still work for him during the day, and I do the show at night."

"Wow, I'm impressed," Joanne murmured, biting her lip.

"Oh, look, let's get some coffee," Maureen said excitedly, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she pointed to a small café across the street.

Rolling her eyes, Joanne simply nodded her head and followed dutifully after Maureen. The strong smell of brewing coffee assaulted their noses as they walked inside, and Joanne sighed as the delicious heat washed over her.

"Do you want anything while we're here?" Maureen asked as she made her way up to the counter.

"I'll take a cup of coffee," Joanne said, pulling out a few bills and handing them to Maureen. "Two creams and…"

"Four sugars," Maureen finished automatically. At Joanne's surprised expression, Maureen blushed and mumbled, "I lived with you for two and a half years. Some things are hard to forget. Anyway, I'll be right back."

Running a hand through her hair distractedly, Maureen hurried over to the waiting employee and placed their order as she tapped her fingernails on the counter. She puffed out a small sigh and jiggled her leg nervously, furrowing her eyebrows as she glanced back at Joanne. Two tall Styrofoam cups of coffee appeared in front of her, and Maureen grabbed them as she thanked the girl who was standing behind the counter.

"Here you go," Maureen said as she quickly handed Joanne the right cup. She gestured to a nearby table and said, "Do you want to hang out here while we drink this stuff?"

Joanne nodded her head towards a table near the back, "Yeah, let's sit back there."

Maureen bit her lip and hurried after Joanne as they weaved their way through the tables and chairs. Joanne sat down heavily in a chair and took a small sip of her coffee as Maureen sat down on the opposite side of the table. The hot liquid seared Joanne's lips and tongue, and she let out a small cry in surprise.

"Did you burn yourself?" Maureen asked as Joanne touched her mouth gingerly.

Joanne nodded her head, and Maureen smiled slightly as she leaned over the table.

"Let me see," Maureen said quietly, placing her cool hands on Joanne's cheeks.

Maureen ran a gentle finger over Joanne's lips, and on an impulse, she brushed her lips against Joanne's. Joanne pulled back immediately and looked away, her heart racing as Maureen sat back in her chair.

"Well, I think I'm fine now," Joanne said breathlessly, eyeing her coffee with distaste. "You never did answer my question last night."

"Which one?" Maureen asked innocently as she fidgeted with her shirt.

"Are you seeing anyone?" Joanne replied quickly.

Sighing, Maureen said, "It's a little complicated. I'm not technically dating anyone at the moment, but I've been talking with this girl about possibly dating her. I'm sorry if you were expecting for us to get back together or something, but I don't think I can do that to her."

"But, you were perfectly willing to cheat on Mark all that time and to flirt with other people while we were dating?" Joanne asked angrily.

"Please, Pookie, I don't really want to talk about that now," Maureen said softly.

"I don't want you to jerk me around like this is some kind of game, Maureen," Joanne snapped, barely keeping from shouting at her.

"That's not what I'm trying to do, Joanne," Maureen replied fiercely, her eyes narrowing. "I want to be friends with you because the biggest thing I regret is not saying goodbye to you when you left. I want to be upfront with you about this girl because we do have a history together, and, well…"

Joanne waited for Maureen to continue her sentence, and finally huffed when Maureen simply stared at the table, "What, Maureen? Why the hell have you suddenly developed a conscience?"

"God, I was such a little shit," Maureen murmured, glancing up at Joanne before allowing her gaze to fall back to the table. "I'm sorry, Joanne. I know I hurt you then, but I don't want to do that again. Please, can't we try to start over?"

Joanne leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath as she said, "And where will we end up from there?"

"I honestly don't know," Maureen said with a small shrug of her shoulders. She smiled bitterly, "I've heard it's dangerous to reconnect with exes. It makes you remember all the old feelings, the good times you had, but you forget about the fights and the reason why you broke up."

"I don't think we're going to have that problem," Joanne replied with a slight giggle. Shaking her head, Joanne took Maureen's hand and said, "I'm sorry for getting so angry with you. I didn't mean to overreact."

"It's fine," Maureen replied quickly. She ran her thumb over the back of Joanne's hand and said, "I'll explain everything to you one day. I'm just not ready, yet."

Joanne bit back her retort that was on the tip of her tongue and smiled, "Let me know when you are, and I'll listen. Do you think we should head back? I don't think I'm going to finish this."

Maureen's eyes widened as she looked down at her cold coffee and wrinkled her nose, "I think you're right. All right, let's go."

Joanne took it upon herself to make sure the coffee was thrown away since Maureen just got up and started to walk out of the café. Groaning, Joanne hurried after her before the brunette could get out of sight, and she found Maureen waiting a little further down the street, holding a flower out to her.

"Here, it's for you," Maureen said with a bright smile as Joanne took the white rose from her hand.

"Thank you," Joanne whispered, studying Maureen's face curiously as she sniffed at the flower.

Maureen leaned a little closer and said softly, "It's fake, but I thought you would like it anyway. Come on!"

Maureen grabbed Joanne's free hand and pulled her down the street, prancing beside the darker woman as Joanne allowed her fingers to curl gently around the stem of the flower. Joanne glanced over at Maureen, and she leaned over and kissed Maureen's pale cheek. Maureen looked at Joanne sharply, but she smiled and simply continued to tug on Joanne's arm to make sure the other woman kept up with her.

"I'll have to make sure you get out of that office," Maureen announced suddenly as she intertwined her fingers with Joanne's.

"And, why in the world would you want to do that?" Joanne asked defensively.

Maureen laughed loudly and twirled in a small circle as she replied, "You're such a workaholic, Joanne. Someone needs to make sure that you have a little fun."

Joanne snorted, "And, I suppose you think you're the person for the job."

"I always have been," Maureen said simply as she pushed open the door to their building. "Are you going to come back up?"

"I think I will," Joanne said, sneaking past Maureen to get to the stairs first. "Race you!"

"No fair, you got a head start!" Maureen complained as she rushed after Joanne.

Laughing, Joanne charged up the stairs, coming to a skidding halt at the loft door. Maureen barreled onto the landing right behind her, and accidentally pinned Joanne to the wall. Maureen giggled softly as she tried to catch her breath as Joanne looked up at her. Maureen's lips twitched as she took in their current position, and she started to lean in just as Mark opened the door.

"Oh, it looks like you two are back," Mark said hesitantly as the two broke apart and smiled nervously at him.

"Yeah," Maureen said, ruffling his hair absentmindedly as she walked into the loft.

Joanne watched her disappear from view and sighed, "Yeah, we are."

She shook her head at Mark's curious glance and headed inside, plastering a smile on her face.


	4. There's a Promise I Can Keep

Joanne put the file she was reading to one side as her phone rang insistently, and she picked it up curiously.

"Hello?" she asked, stretching her legs.

"Hey, Joanne," Maureen said excitedly.

Joanne grinned and said, "Hey, Maureen. Do you need something?"

"No, I just thought we could talk if you weren't busy," Maureen replied promptly.

"Sure, go ahead," Joanne said pleasantly, putting her file to one side.

"You were doing something important," Maureen said with a slight laugh. "But, I'm flattered that you'll talk with me anyway."

"How did you guess?" Joanne asked as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Like I said before, I lived with you for two and a half years," Maureen said, smiling.

"Okay, if you don't mind, then, do you care to talk about something other than my work habits?" Joanne asked, curling her legs up to her chest.

"Fine," Maureen sighed. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner next week."

"Dinner?" Joanne repeated, her smile fading.

"Yeah, like an actual date," Maureen replied flippantly. "I'll understand if you're too busy or don't want to."

"No, actually, that would nice," Joanne said quickly before Maureen could talk her way out of it. "What night?"

"How about Friday?" Maureen offered tentatively. "Since the show closed, I'm free that night, and we can go to a nice restaurant."

Joanne grinned, "Yeah, I think that's a great idea."

"Well, okay," Maureen said, relieved. "Um, I have to go. I think Collins is going to beat my door down, but I'll talk to you later."

"All right," Joanne replied. "Bye."

"Bye," Maureen said softly, hanging up.

Joanne put the phone back in its cradle and glanced over at the file she had just abandoned. Shaking her head, she put it away and snuggled into her bed as she tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.

"So, you and Maureen are going to try to be a couple again?" Collins asked, grinning at Joanne. "If so, then I win the bet."

"What bet?" Joanne replied, frowning.

He laughed and said, "We all have a bet going on how long it would take the two of you to get back together. I thought it would take a month, and now that you've been back for about a month, and the two of you are dating, then that means I win."

She shrugged, "It's just one date."

"Bummer," Collins sighed. "I guess I'll just wait a little longer. The closest one to me is Mark, and he said three months."

"Don't you have something better to do?" Joanne asked. When he just grinned, she shook her head, "I should have known better. But, I don't think we're getting back together just yet. Unless you know something I don't."

"Hey, I don't give away Maureen's secrets," Collins replied as he relaxed on the couch. "However, I do know that she never got over you."

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

He sighed and said, "I really shouldn't tell you this, but Maureen probably isn't ever going to tell you. She was a mess after you left. I guess she thought the two of you would make up and get back together, but once you headed for Seattle, she started drinking a lot, and Mark finally told her to get a job and get out of the loft. She got really mad at him, but he kicked her out anyway. So, she moved in with me for a couple of weeks until she found her job with the doctor and got out on her own. I managed to get her to go to a few auditions, and well, there you go."

"But, surely she dated after we broke up," Joanne said with disbelief. "She always did before."

"And, I'm sure she had a few drunken one-night stands," he said, waving his hand. "She stopped after you left, though, and just stuck to drinking. I'm not sure exactly what was going through her head, and I never asked. This girl she's been talking to is the first time she's even considered seeing someone."

"Where exactly does she stand with this…girl?" Joanne asked testily.

"I don't know. I think Maureen is handling that herself," Collins replied. He glanced over at Joanne's darkening expression and said quickly, "You know, I don't think Maureen is really interested in jerking you around, so I wouldn't worry."

Taking a deep breath, Joanne said softly, "I guess you're right. You know, Maureen mentioned something about her past, but she didn't really go into details."

"Oh?" Collins prompted, raising his eyebrows with interest.

"Do you know why Maureen cheated on Mark?" Joanne asked.

Sputtering, Collins managed to say, "Maureen hasn't told you?"

Joanne just shook her head and sat back as she waited for his response.

"I told her to talk to you about that," he said quickly. "And, I can't tell you myself. You'll have to wait on her."

Joanne sighed, "Fine. So, where is everyone?"

"Mark is out filming, Roger and Mimi are shopping, and Maureen is probably finishing up her painting. We're actually going out in a little bit," he replied, rearranging his body on the couch.

Nodding her head in agreement, Joanne curled up in her chair as Collins suddenly started to cough violently. She reached out to grab his arm to keep him from falling off the couch.

As his coughing subsided, he gave her a weak smile and said, "Thanks. I'm fine now."

"Do you need some water or anything?" Joanne asked, a concerned look on her face.

"No, thanks," he replied.

She smiled uncertainly as he wiped his mouth with a shaky hand, his face pale from the exertion of the coughing fit. A few beads of sweat had broken out on his forehead, and he breathed deeply through his nose as he mopped at his brow.

"Collins, how long have you been sick?" she asked quietly.

He looked over at her, startled, and sighed, "A few months now."

"Does Maureen know?" Joanne pressed.

"Yeah," he replied in a soft voice. "Look, no one else knows, mainly because Mimi really hasn't been doing well, and I don't want the others to have to worry about me, too."

Joanne closed her eyes and asked, "How much longer do you have?"

"Several months, Jo," he said, cracking a smile. "So, don't look so down. You can never know how these things might go, so it might only be two months, or seven more years."

"All right, I won't tell anyone," she promised. "You'll let them know, though, if you get worse, right?"

"You know I will, Jo," he reassured her.

As she squeezed his hand, the door slid open, and Maureen wandered inside, smiling at the sight of both Collins and Joanne in the loft..

"Oh, I thought you were busy today, Joanne," Maureen said hesitantly as she shot a glare in Collins' direction.

"Are you ready to go?" Collins asked, winking at Joanne as he stood up. "I'll talk to you later."

"Okay," Joanne said without thinking.

Maureen smiled hesitantly at Joanne and linked her arm with Collins as they left the loft. Joanne waited until they were gone before stretching out on the couch to wait for someone else to appear. She really didn't want to spend the day alone.

Cracking one eye open, Joanne groaned loudly at the time on her clock. She tried to ignore the pounding on her door, but she was worried that the noise might make her neighbors angry. She eventually managed to crawl out of her bed and stagger to her door peering through the peephole to make sure she wouldn't be letting in a stranger.

She yanked the door open angrily and hissed, "Maureen Johnson, it is three o'clock in the morning. What the fuck are you doing here?"

Dropping her head, Maureen mumbled, "I needed someone to talk to."

Pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers, Joanne sighed as she studied Maureen's red-rimmed eyes and gestured for her to come in. Maureen hesitated for a moment on the threshold before trudging into the apartment as Joanne swung the door shut.

"Have you been drinking?" Joanne asked, sure that alcohol could have been the only thing to prompt Maureen to visit her so late.

"Just a little," Maureen replied.

Joanne shook her head and sat down on the couch, patting the space next to her, "Well, talk, then."

Plopping onto the couch beside Joanne, Maureen said softly, "I was just with Collins a few hours ago, and he was giving me a hard time about not telling you all about what happened between me and Mark. So, I thought I should come and talk to you."

"And you need to be intoxicated to tell me something like this?" Joanne asked testily, still irritated about being woken up.

Maureen glared at her, "It's not easy to tell you this, and I was scared."

"Scared of what?" Joanne pressed.

Maureen shrugged, "Scared that you wouldn't give me a second chance."

Joanne bit her lip and studied her for a moment before saying, "Maureen, I promise that I'll listen to you without interrupting you. And, I won't get mad. Okay?"

"Okay," Maureen agreed. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and said, "I cheated on Mark. A lot. It was after April had committed suicide, and Roger was going through withdrawal. Mark didn't pay any attention to me, and Collins had left for a new job. Mark had to quit his job so he could be at home with Roger to make sure he didn't sneak out and try to buy drugs. I was the only one, then, with a job, so I pulled double shifts in order to make sure we could buy food and stuff like that. I tried to get Mark to pay attention to me, but Roger always needed him. I was never around when Roger would get violent, but one night, I got in the way, and Roger hit me.

"He didn't mean to, but Mark didn't do anything about it. He helped me clean myself up after he had gotten Roger to settle down, but he never even made Roger apologize for it. So, the next night, I went out to a bar and got drunk. It had been a month since I had had sex, and there was a man there who wouldn't stop staring at me. He finally started flirting with me, and I went home with him. I didn't get in until late that night, and I found Mark sitting up, waiting on me. I knew he could smell that man's cologne on me, but he didn't say anything. After that, I started going out all the time, getting drunk and sleeping with any man who would look twice at me. I just wanted Mark to acknowledge that I was even alive, and I wanted to hurt him because if he at least hated me, he would feel something about me."

Maureen's voice trailed off, and she wiped away a few tears that had slipped out of her eyes. Joanne didn't move, her face blank, as she tried to figure out something to say.

As Joanne opened her mouth, Maureen suddenly started speaking again, "I know it wasn't right, and I was incredibly selfish, but I just thought it would be easier for you to understand why I hurt him so badly. I never cheated on you, Joanne, ever. I know I slept around every time we broke up, and I flirted with people when I shouldn't have, but I didn't cheat on you. I just couldn't do something like that, not to you."

Blinking, Joanne leaned back heavily on the couch as she took in all of Maureen's words. Wordlessly, she reached out and took Maureen's hand; Maureen looked at Joanne in surprise, but with a slight smile, she squeezed Joanne's hand and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you for listening," she whispered. Standing up, she ran a hand through her hair nervously and said, "It's late, and I should probably go home."

"Okay," Joanne agreed reluctantly, following Maureen to the door.

As Maureen lingered in the doorway, Joanne searched for something to say. If she was completely honest with herself, she was angry with Maureen. She was angry that Maureen thought it would be okay to simply waltz into her apartment and think that her story would make up for all the times Maureen had hurt her. She started to lash out at Maureen, but she was cut off as Maureen pressed her lips against Joanne's. Startled, Joanne reflexively tried to take a step back, but Maureen held her in place and kissed her again. Joanne closed her eyes and allowed herself to respond to Maureen's lips. She hated how Maureen could do this to her. One minute Joanne was angry with her, and the next, Maureen nearly had her senseless with desire. It was a dangerous dance, one they had done for years, and she knew better than to start all over again. However, Joanne pushed all her thoughts to one side as her tongue met Maureen's, and Maureen let out a small whimper at the sensation. Suddenly, Maureen stepped back and shook her head.

"I should go," she murmured, the color fading from her cheeks.

Joanne sighed, "You're right. I'm sorry."

"No," Maureen replied firmly. "There's nothing to apologize for. It's just…I don't want to do this backwards. For once, I want to start a relationship before I have sex with someone. Maybe then I won't be such a screw-up."

"You're not," Joanne said generously. "I guess I'll see you on Friday?"

Maureen smiled, "Yeah. Friday. I'll be thinking about you."

Blowing Joanne a kiss, Maureen slipped out of the apartment as Joanne leaned heavily against the wall. She glanced at the clock, and seeing that an hour had already passed, she opted for several cups of coffee and some mindless television. She doubted she would be getting any more sleep.


	5. You'd Like What You Saw

Joanne smoothed her midnight blue dress nervously as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Her stomach twisted, and she sighed as she paced the floor. She had spent the entire day agonizing over her date with Maureen, and she had finally decided to leave work early because she had been completely unable to focus on anything. Shaking her head, she grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

Maureen twisted her dress in her hands as she waited for Joanne at the restaurant. She grimaced at the wrinkles she had created and smoothed them out, biting her lip and looking furtively at the door in the hopes that Joanne would walk through it. Suddenly, Joanne appeared, and Maureen immediately straightened her back as she smiled. She stood up and held her arms out to Joanne, pulling her into a hug.

"Hey," Joanne said softly, wrapping her arms around Maureen's waist briefly before releasing her.

"I was worried that you were going to be late," Maureen said with a small laugh. "I should have known that you would be exactly on time."

Joanne grinned and sat down in the chair across the table from Maureen's, "Yes, well, I was worried that you would be late, like always. It looks like some things have changed."

Maureen shook her head, "Well, I've always liked surprising people. So, how was work?"

Joanne shrugged and opened her menu as she said, "It was…long. We haven't had many new cases, so we're just pushing papers around at the moment. How was your day?"

"About the same," Maureen replied. "Oh, I did finish cleaning my apartment up if you want to come and see it tonight."

Joanne raised her eyebrows, "You're taking me home on the first date?"

"It's not what you think," Maureen warned. "I just thought we could go back for a glass of wine and just talk. After all, you're the one who wants to see my place."

"All right, then," Joanne said. "I was just teasing. Why were you painting anyway?"

Maureen shrugged as she perused her menu, "I got bored with the color I had painted it a couple of months ago, so I decided to start over."

Joanne looked at Maureen in surprise and asked, "How often do you paint your apartment?"

"It's according to what kind of mood I'm in," Maureen explained. "I think I've painted it five times since I moved in a year and a half ago."

"That's ridiculous," Joanne said with a laugh.

Maureen started to reply, but she was interrupted when their waiter appeared at the table.

"Good evening, ladies," he greeted them with a smile. "Can I get you some wine?"

"Yes, I was thinking that this one looked good," Maureen replied, pointing to one that she had picked out before Joanne had ever appeared.

"Excellent choice," he said. "I'll be back in just a moment."

Maureen glanced at Joanne when he left and said, "Now, I can't help it if I have a short attention span, and get bored with one color after a little while. I mean, you have your own little quirks."

"And, those would be?" Joanne asked as she closed her menu.

Maureen shrugged and said, "Well, you do have an obsessive need for everything to be clean and straight all the time."

"Is there something wrong with that?" Joanne challenged, crossing her arms over her chest.

Maureen blinked and said, blushing, "Um, no. I was just saying that not everyone is like you in that regard, just like not everyone paints their apartment every few months."

Joanne frowned as Maureen averted her eyes and bit her lip, but she just shook her head as the waiter approached them, carrying a bottle of wine.

"Are you ready to order?" he asked politely as he poured the wine into their glasses.

"I think so," Maureen replied quickly, smiling up at him.

Joanne watched Maureen carefully as she ordered her food, and smiled at the fact that Maureen seemed to be going out of her way to make it clear that she was not flirting with him. It was a little too much, but Joanne appreciated the gesture. When the waiter turned to Joanne, she startled and quickly ordered her own food, sighing in relief when he left with their menus.

"Is something wrong?" Maureen asked, sipping delicately on her wine.

Joanne stared at her full red lips for a moment before saying, "I'm sorry?"

"Joanne, is something wrong?" Maureen repeated, a concerned look on her face. "You seem a little distracted."

As Maureen reached across the table and took her hand, Joanne licked her lips and stammered, "No, I'm fine."

"Good," Maureen said with a smile. "I was worried that I had done something already."

"Don't worry," Joanne said soothingly as she gently ran her fingernails over the back of Maureen's hand. "I promise that you're not doing anything wrong."

Nodding her head, Maureen pulled her hand back across the table, gulping down some more wine as Joanne sighed and drank some out of her own cup. Maureen seemed jumpy about something, and it was going to be a long night if she didn't loosen up.

Three glasses of wine later, and they were both laughing uproariously at a story Maureen had just told Joanne about her first experience behind the wheel.

"Why did you never tell me any of this before?" Joanne asked as she tried to catch her breath.

Maureen suppressed a giggle and said, "Well, I never thought about it. Especially not since we've been catching up on two years apart."

"Still, this happened when you were sixteen," Joanne pointed out. "Are you sure your parents weren't traumatized?"

"They seemed okay, but that might explain their reluctance to get in the car with me again," Maureen replied as she drained her glass. "Are you ready to go?"

Joanne glanced down at her watch and said, "Wow, we've been here for three hours. Sure, let's go."

Maureen grabbed Joanne's hand, lacing their fingers together as they got up. Joanne looked in surprise at Maureen, but smiled at the simple contact.

"I can't believe that you insisted on paying for everything," Joanne said with a disappointed look as they stepped outside and Maureen immediately started scanning the street for a taxi.

"I asked you on the date, so I paid," Maureen replied, hailing a taxi. As the yellow car pulled up the curb, Maureen said, "Besides, I can afford it. No big deal."

Joanne climbed into the taxi and said, "Still, I could have helped out some. It is just our first date."

"All the more reason to impress you," Maureen shot back with a grin.

Shaking her head, Joanne leaned back on the seat and wrapped her arm loosely around Maureen's waist, "If it makes you happy, then I guess I can live with that. But, I get to pay for the cab."

"Fine," Maureen groaned, kissing her cheek. "If you insist."

Joanne smiled as the taxi pulled up to the dingy building and said, "I do."

Pulling out the correct amount, Joanne handed it to the driver as Maureen opened her door and climbed out the other side. Maureen hurried around the back and managed to pull open Joanne's door before she could do it herself.

"What are you doing?" Joanne asked as Maureen took her by the hand and helped her out of the backseat of the taxi.

"Wooing you," Maureen said simply, tugging on Joanne's hand and heading for the door.

Joanne bit her lip and followed after the brunette willingly through the door and up the stairs. When they reached her floor, Maureen fumbled with her keys for a few minutes before finally managing to get the right one into the lock. Pulling the door open, she motioned for Joanne to walk in first and immediately entered after her. Joanne glanced around the apartment and smiled at the soft blue shade of the walls.

"Well, what do you think?" Maureen asked hesitantly as she closed the door.

Joanne surveyed the rest of the room, taking in the kitchen area that was tucked into the corner, and the squashy furniture that had been scattered through the rest of the room. It was disorganized, but it fit Maureen.

"It's perfect for you," Joanne announced. "Though, why such a light color for the walls? I would have thought you would have wanted something brighter."

"It looks really pretty whenever the sun's shining in the windows," Maureen replied with a soft smile. "Oh, do you want anything to drink?"

"Water will be fine," Joanne said quickly as Maureen pulled down a couple of glasses.

"Coming right up," Maureen announced, searching through her refrigerator for some bottled water.

Joanne watched Maureen with renewed interest, her eyes travelling along her gentle curves that her dress brought out. For some reason, she found Maureen even more seductive than usual, even though the dress she was wearing was certainly more modest than what Joanne would have suspected. Yet, Joanne found her even more alluring because of that fact. She shook her head as Maureen turned to offer her the glass of water.

"Here you go," Maureen told her with a smile.

As Joanne took the glass, she brushed her hand against Maureen's wrist subtly, and Maureen shivered at the touch before picking up her own glass and running her finger over the rim. Joanne sipped her water and allowed it to soothe her dry mouth, setting her cup down on the nearby counter.

"So," Maureen said in a shaky voice, her eyes never leaving her cup.

"So," Joanne echoed as she reached over and took Maureen's hand.

Maureen started at the contact with Joanne's skin, but she put her glass beside Joanne's and looked at her former lover curiously. Joanne breathed in sharply and crashed her lips against Maureen's, her hands immediately tangling in her brown hair. Gasping in surprise, Maureen pulled Joanne closer as she wrapped her arms around Joanne's neck. Joanne pressed Maureen into the counter, tracing the outline of Maureen's mouth with her tongue before slipping it through her parted lips. Maureen moaned and allowed her hands to travel down Joanne's curves to hold her flush against her heated body. Maureen broke their kiss and started to move her lips along Joanne's neck, pulling a groan from the back of Joanne's throat.

"Bed?" Maureen murmured against Joanne's skin.

Joanne nodded her head, and Maureen started to push Joanne in the direction of her bedroom as Joanne explored Maureen's body, pulling her back into a kiss. Maureen paused in her efforts as their lips moved together, but after a moment, she stepped back and pulled Joanne into the bedroom impatiently, collapsing on the bed with her.


	6. We'd Make Up Time

Maureen stretched and smiled lazily as Joanne opened her eyes.

"Morning," Maureen murmured, leaning over to kiss Joanne.

Grinning, Joanne pulled Maureen closer and started to kiss her neck. Maureen sighed as she tangled her hands in Joanne's hair. As Joanne started to move her lips down Maureen's body, the phone started to ring. Maureen reached to answer it, but Joanne grabbed her hand and sucked gently on Maureen's fingers, her teeth nibbling the tips. Moaning, Maureen ignored the ringing phone, and one of Joanne's hands slowly inched its way along Maureen's hip.

The answering machine picked up and Collins' voice said, "Maureen, I know you're there. If you don't answer the phone, I'm coming down to your place to drag you out of bed…"

Maureen frantically grabbed the phone and said, "Hey, Collins. Why the wake-up call?"

Joanne smiled wickedly and focused her attention on Maureen's breasts.

"You promised that you would hang out with all of us today," Collins reminded her.

Biting her lip to keep from groaning in pleasure, Maureen replied breathlessly, "Oh. I forgot. Um, give me thirty minutes?"

Collins laughed, "Sure thing, Mo. Tell Joanne hello for me."

"Bye," Maureen squeaked out. She hung up the phone and said, "Joanne, baby, we need to get a shower."

"You don't want me to finish?" Joanne asked, kissing the corner of Maureen's mouth.

Maureen shook her head and pulled Joanne by the hand towards her bathroom. "Oh, we're finishing this. We just only have thirty minutes."

"Mmm, I think I can handle that," Joanne whispered, capturing Maureen's ear between her teeth.

"Oh, God, I hate how you can do that," Maureen breathed as she fell back against Joanne. Tugging a little harder on Joanne's hand, she said, "Come on."

After Collins hung up the loft's phone, he turned to look at Mark and Roger.

"Pay up, motherfuckers," Collins said with a grin, holding out his hand.

Mark glanced up from the film he had been labeling, asking, "What?"

"Yeah," Roger agreed as he strummed on his guitar.

"Our bet on Maureen and Joanne, I won," Collins announced. "I want my money."

"How do you know they're back together?" Mark replied dubiously.

"You don't want to know," Collins said.

Roger snorted, "They had sex, didn't they? You can always tell with Maureen."

"How?" Mark asked as he dug out his wallet.

"Her voice changes," Roger said simply. "It's a little raspier, and she sounds like she's constantly happy."

"And, how do you know this?" Collins questioned as he nudged Roger's shoulder.

"I lived here while she and Mark were fucking like rabbits," Roger said. When Collins held his hand out under Roger's nose, he sighed and said, "Fine. Here's my fifty bucks."

"Here you go, Collins," Mark said quietly, dumping some bills into Collins' hand.

"It's been good doing business with you," Collins told them as he pocketed the money.

Mimi emerged from the bathroom, rubbing her curly hair with a towel, and asked, "What's going on?"

"Maureen and Joanne are back together," Collins answered promptly.

"Really?" Mimi squealed as she clapped her hands.

"You're acting like this is a good thing," Roger muttered. "All they ever do is make out and fight with each other. It gets annoying."

"Oh, is the pot calling the kettle black, Roger?" Mark asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Shove off," Roger said as he shoved Mark's shoulder.

Mimi shook her head and settled onto Roger's lap, "You need to learn to play nicely with other people, Roger."

Mark sighed as Roger kissed her, saying, "Yeah, well, are they coming to hang out or not, Collins?"

"They're going to be here soon," Collins replied as he headed back to his room. "Let me know when they show up."

Mark started to put his film away and groaned when he looked up and saw that Roger and Mimi's kiss had developed into a full-fledged makeout session.

"You two really need to get out more," Mark mumbled as he trudged back to his own room.

"So, what am I going to wear?" Joanne asked as she wandered out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body.

Maureen eyed Joanne's legs and grinned, "You can wear that."

Joanne rolled her eyes, "I'm serious, Maureen. I think I might just go home and get something to wear. Do you have some sweats or something I can throw on?"

"Why don't you just wear some of my clothes?" Maureen asked as she started to search through her dresser drawers. "I have some jeans and a shirt."

"Okay," Joanne replied, taking the wrinkled clothes Maureen held out to her. "Do you have an ironing board?"

"Why?" Maureen said, her brows furrowing in confusion.

Joanne looked down at the clothes and shook her head, "Never mind."

Shrugging, Maureen pulled out a raggedy pair of jeans and a shirt and changed into them quickly. Joanne hesitated and glanced back in the direction of the bathroom before putting her borrowed clothes on.

"We're going to need to talk later," Joanne said softly, running a hand through her hair.

Maureen sighed, "All right. You ready to go?"

Frowning, Joanne tried to smooth a particularly stubborn wrinkle as she said, "Sure."

Collins rolled the dice across the table and moved his piece as he said, "Hey, Banker, wake up. I need two hundred dollars."

Mark tossed two pieces of fake money in Collins' direction as he asked, "Who's idea was it to play this game?"

"Mine," Maureen piped up from where she was studying her property cards.

"We've been playing for three fucking hours," Roger complained, moving around his miniscule stack of money. "Can't we just declare Collins the winner and do something else?"

"Like making out with your girlfriend?" Mark muttered as he rolled the dice and moved his piece. "One, two, three, four, five…damn, Park Place."

"Pay up, little albino bastard," Collins crowed as he held out his hand.

Joanne snorted, "Collins, this is ridiculous. Please tell me that all of you are almost bankrupt."

"Honey, you're just jealous because you got out earlier than anyone else," Maureen said sweetly. "Meems, your turn."

Sighing, Mimi tossed the dice onto the table and beamed when she landed on one of her own properties, "Safe. Now, I just need to make to 'Go'."

"Easier said than done," Roger said bitterly. "I've managed to land on one of Collins' properties right before I can get there. One more time, and I'm out."

"This is turning out to be a good game," Collins said, grinning. "Maureen, take your turn already."

Rolling her eyes, Maureen rolled the dice and smirked as she landed on one of Roger's mortaged properties, "Too bad."

Roger grumbled something unintelligible under his breath and almost threw the dice across the table. He counted out the spaces carefully and groaned as he landed squarely on one of Collins' properties.

"Here," he said, shoving all of his assets in Collins' direction. "I'm done."

Maureen watched him walk off, "Don't be such a sore loser."

Roger replied by giving her the finger, and he plopped down onto the couch, strumming his guitar moodily.

Mimi made a face and said, "He doesn't mean it, you know."

Maureen shrugged her shoulders, "I know. I just like to give him a hard time."

Within the next thirty minutes, Collins managed to win the game, and Joanne helped him pick it up as the others wandered away from the table.

"Winner picks up, Joanne," Maureen said as she kissed Joanne's cheek. "That means you don't need to help him."

Joanne patted Maureen's shoulder and handed Collins the stack of bills she had gathered up, "All right. I actually think it's time for me to head on home."

Mimi frowned as she joined Roger on the couch and plopped her legs into his lap, "Do you have to?"

"I have some work to catch up on," Joanne replied. "I'll be back tomorrow."

"I'll walk you home," Maureen said as Joanne started for the door.

"Okay," Joanne replied slowly. She looked back and said, "Bye, you guys."

"Bye!" Mimi called brightly.

Roger grunted, and Mark gave her a small, distracted wave as he pulled out his camera.

"See you tomorrow, Jo," Collins said with a wink.

Smiling, Joanne pushed the door open and pulled Maureen outside.

"You don't have to walk me home," Joanne said as Maureen closed the door.

"I thought we needed to talk," Maureen replied simply. "Besides, I like spending time with you."

"Okay," Joanne said softly as they started down the stairs. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "Where exactly does our relationship stand right now?"

"I thought we were back together," Maureen said after a moment.

"Good, so we agree on that," Joanne replied with a smile. "I guess the next question is if you want to move in with me or if you want me to move in with you."

Maureen shook her head, "I really don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?" Joanne asked indignantly.

"It's just that the last time we tried that, it didn't work out," Maureen explained. "I don't want to constantly be breaking up with you, Joanne. I just think it might be better if we take this a little more slowly than that."

Joanne pursed her lips and mulled over Maureen's words before saying, "I guess you're right. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"I really liked our date last night," Maureen said shyly. "And, I was kind of hoping we could make that a weekly thing."

"I think that's a good idea," Joanne agreed as she laced her fingers through Maureen's. "Do you want to swap out who's in charge of the date each week?"

"Yeah," Maureen replied as she nodded her head eagerly.

Joanne laughed softly, and Maureen looked at her curiously.

"What?" Maureen asked quietly, pausing on the sidewalk.

Joanne kissed her and replied, "Nothing. I had just forgotten how…excited you get about little things."

Wrapping her arms around Joanne's waist, Maureen murmured, "I hope that's a good thing."

"Very good," Joanne said breathlessly as Maureen closed the distance between their lips.


	7. I Seldom Fall to Pieces Anymore

Joanne sighed as she examined the perfectly arranged table, candlelight flickering over her face. Maureen was an hour late, and Joanne was quickly losing her patience. Shaking her head, she picked up the phone and called Maureen's place. When she didn't answer, Joanne dialed Collins' number.

"Hello?" Collins asked, clearing his throat.

"Do you know where Maureen is?"

"No, I have no clue." He paused. "Is something wrong?"

Joanne glanced back at the lukewarm food on the table. "She was supposed to come to my place for dinner, and she's over an hour late."

"That's not good. Listen, I'll be over there in a few minutes with Mark, and we can decide what to do."

"That's really not necessary," Joanne said quickly, but her ear was met by the dial tone.

She placed the phone back in its cradle as she chewed on her bottom lip, hissing when her teeth broke through the delicate skin. Dabbing at the welling blood, she sat down on the couch and turned on the television.

Two hours later, she started from the stupor she had sunk into at the pounding on her door.

"Joanne, we found her," Collins called wearily from the hall as she hurried to let them in.

"Fucking let go of me, Mark." Maureen stumbled through the door as it swung open. Once she saw Joanne, she flung herself into Joanne's arms. "Jo, they're being mean to me. They ruined all my fun."

Joanne looked down at her girlfriend, taking in Maureen's glassy eyes and flushed face as she helped the unsteady woman to the couch. "Where did you find her?"

"A club," Mark said softly.

"I'm not drunk."

Collins snarled with impatience. "She's taken something, Joanne."

Joanne cradled Maureen's head against her shoulder as she asked, "Honey, what drug have you taken? We need to know."

"I didn't take anything," Maureen whined, pulling away from Joanne and hiding her face in a pillow. "Just leave me alone!"

Collins grabbed her shoulders, sharking her. "Goddamnit, Maureen, what the hell did you take?"

"Fuck you."

"We've talked about this, Maureen. You can't do stupid shit whenever you get upset!"

"That's enough!" Joanne intervened as Maureen burst into hysterical tears. Shoving Collins away from the couch, Joanne wrapped her arms around Maureen. "Thank you for finding her, but I think it would be best if both of you leave."

"But, Joanne…"

She cut him off. "Maureen is my girlfriend, and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of her."

As Collins opened his mouth to argue, Mark laid a hand on his arm. "Let it go." He nodded at Joanne as they headed toward the door. "Call me if you need anything."

As the door closed, Joanne shifted Maureen to lean on her shoulder and started to stand up; Maureen groaned in protest and tried to pull Joanne back down onto the soft cushions.

"Come on, baby, you need to get to bed." Slinging Maureen's arm over her shoulders, Joanne forced the woman to her feet and staggered in the direction of the bedroom.

"I'm going to be sick."

"To the bathroom, then."

"Jo, I _really_ don't feel good."

"Be patient. We're almost there." Pushing her way into the bathroom, Joanne guided Maureen to the toilet, settling behind her to hold back Maureen's dark curls.

Maureen retched, and Joanne grimaced at the familiar sound of vomit falling into the toilet bowl; she rubbed Maureen's back in soothing circles as Maureen shuddered against her, crying softly. Resting her head on Joanne's breast, Maureen sniffled as she tried to wipe the tears off her cheeks with her too heavy arms.

"I'm so sorry," Maureen murmured, allowing Joanne to help her off the floor. "I'm sorry. So sorry."

"It's okay," Joanne replied. She pulled the covers of the bed back and guided Maureen onto the mattress.

Maureen watched as Joanne pulled the boots off her feet; she struggled to take her shirt off, but it got stuck under her arms. Joanne laughed at the petulant look on Maureen's face and finished removing Maureen's shirt. Pressing a kiss to her cheek, Joanne fumbled with the zipper of Maureen's pants.

"Ooh, are we getting frisky tonight?" Maureen pouted, but it lost its normal sexual appeal with her smeared lipstick and eyeliner.

Joanne shook her head and pulled off Maureen's pants. "Not tonight, baby. It's time to go to sleep."

Maureen blinked and nodded her head, settling under the covers; Joanne smiled and kissed her before starting for the door.

"Will you stay with me?"

Maureen's small voice pulled Joanne back to the bed. "Of course."

Curling up beside Maureen, Joanne allowed the brunette to nestle into her neck, the warm whisper of Maureen's breath tickling against her sensitive skin.

"Good morning, sunshine."

Maureen moaned as she rolled over, eyes screwed closed against the sunlight streaming in through the window, her tongue thick in her parched mouth. Joanne sat down on the edge of the bed, holding out a cup of coffee.

"I feel awful," Maureen said as she took the cup from Joanne.

Joanne nodded her head. "I'm sure. Babe, we need to talk."

"If it's about last night, then you should know that my head is pounding, and I think I might still puke my guts out."

"Drink your coffee, and we'll talk in a minute. I'm not going anywhere."

Maureen sipped gingerly at the steaming liquid, the rich bitterness soothing her rolling stomach; she pushed some long curls out of her face as she swiped at the drool on her cheek.

"Maureen, what happened last night?"

Maureen winced. "I…got drunk."

"You were more than drunk," Joanne replied, raising her eyebrows. "I know you. You were high. And, I need to know why you were."

"Yesterday, I went with Collins to the doctor." Maureen paused, gulping down some coffee. "He's dying, Joanne. And, I can't stand the idea of losing my best friend. So, I went out to a club where I used to hang out a while back and got wasted. I remember taking something, but I don't know what it was. I don't remember anything after that."

Joanne crawled over to Maureen's side and draped an arm across her shoulders. "Why didn't you come and talk to me? I would have helped you get drunk."

Maureen laughed and shook her head. "I wasn't thinking. I'm so sorry. I just didn't know what to do."

"You really should have come to me, Maureen. You could have been hurt if Collins and Mark hadn't found you."

"I really am sorry." Maureen could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, and she turned her face away.

Joanne sighed and pulled Maureen closer, pillowing Maureen's head against her shoulder as she rubbed the brunette's back. Maureen cuddled into Joanne's embrace.

"He's my best friend, and I'm going to lose him," Maureen whispered. "I just don't know what to do, Joanne. I don't know what to do."

Joanne smoothed Maureen's curls. "Let me help you, love."

Sniffling, Maureen kissed the back of Joanne's hand as she murmured, "Okay."


End file.
